Naim Headline

[Darren Cotter]

Hi All,

How good is the NAIM Headline against the headphone amplifier in the Beresford Caiman? I realise that the type of power supply used would make a difference, but lets say I would be using the NAIM NAPSC for starters. And how much would using a Hi-Cap or Avondale TPX1 effect the sound quality?

Regards,

Darren

[YNWaN]

I've got a Headline and, to be honest, I don't much like it - it's not in the system any more and will probably be going to e-bay.

I've never heard the Caiman and I've only tried the Headline with the smaller power supply it came with.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

the only thing i have been told ... and i emphasise told is that it is like most naim kit only really a good option with an uprated psu ... which of course makes it very expensive option

[Ergoline]

I've only heard the Naim Headline once, and only for a few minutes, but I used my own headphones and I wasn't terribly impressed. This was with the stock wall wart psu. I'd put it in the same class as a premium portable from Decware or Ray Samuels; good but not great. (I had the Decware Zen Head for a while but sold it in favor of the headphone stage in my receiver). The difference is that those are less than half the price and portable. Of course, as others said, power supply could make a huge difference, but that drives up the price even more.

I can't speak to the Caiman, but it sure seems to get a lot of love.

Another option to consider is the Schiit Asgard, which gives you Class A solid state and a proper psu for $250. This gets a limited recommendation from me since I haven't heard it personally.

If you'd like a DAC/amp combo, another one to consider is the Matrix Mini-I for roughly the same price as the Caiman.

[YNWaN]

Its a NAPSC power supply that is attached to my Headline - not a simple wall-wart.

[Ergoline]

Its a NAPSC power supply that is attached to my Headline - not a simple wall-wart.

By any chance have you heard it with the wall-wart from Naim? I believe they call it the "iSupply." I'm curious how big of a step up a better power supply is. NBD if not :).

[Ergoline]

Also, here's an internal shot of the Naim Headline (not my image).

http://assets.head-fi.org/5/5e/5e9dd0c2_naim-headline1.jpg

I don't know about you guys, but I'd be pretty steamed if this was all I received for the Headline's asking price. The PCB looks good with nice chunky copper traces, and the assembly work looks neat and clean unlike most cheap eBay jobs you see, but still. Clever circuit design only justifies so much in terms of MSRP. Just my humble opinion of course. If you like the sound and it's worth the price of admission to you that's really all that matters :).

[Darren Cotter]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies.

I saw a NAIM Headline advertised for what seemed a good price, and wondered what the quality was like. No-one as yet has said it's a great headphone amp, so I think I'll give it a miss.

I have a Beresford Camain DAC, and it has a high quality headphone amp, so I'll stick with that.

Regards,

Darren